Inuit Doll remake

Posted on March 12, 2024 by Salley Mavor

In 1985, I made a velveteen Inuit doll with a seal appliqued on its parka for my son, Peter. When you make something for a toddler, or anyone for that matter, you never know how it will be received. Will they actually play with it or leave it in the corner? I needn’t have worried, because Peter loved this doll to the point where its arms and legs had to be sewn back on several times. All these years later, I have 2 really good reasons to make dolls for a new generation, because a few weeks ago Peter became a father! So, it seemed right that little Eddie and his 1 yr. old cousin, Elias would each have their own Inuit doll to love.

I found the original sketches and patterns for Peter’s doll in my files and unearthed pieces of cotton velveteen left over from my doll-making days. The only material I needed to buy was some sherpa fabric for the fur trim. This post includes photos and videos that show the process of making the 2 new dolls for my grandsons, one decorated with a snowy owl and the other with a fish.

Back in the 80s, when practically every checkout line at the supermarket had a rack full of homey women’s magazines, I designed sewing projects for Better Homes and Gardens. Sewing projects are conspicuously absent from today’s version of the magazine, which is limited to home decor ideas, gardening, and recipes.

I mostly designed cloth dolls, including one with a prairie bonnet that they styled on the cover of their December 1982 issue. You can also see a crèche that Better Homes and Gardens published in 1981 here. When I submitted a photo of Peter’s Inuit doll to the magazine’s crafts editor, they asked me to design 3 dolls, which were included in the December 1986 issue.

During this early phase of my career, I enjoyed coming up with project ideas and making prototypes, even though the pay was dismal and I signed away my design rights (I was young and inexperienced). By the end of the 1980s, I was ready to move on to children’s book illustration, which came with its own suite of challenges.

When I was designing projects for the magazine, writing out step-by-step instructions was my least favorite part of the job. Describing what I’d done in words felt overly analytical and thoroughly anal! It took years to learn to show and tell how to make something in a way that intuitive and visual learners like me could understand. Then, I was ready to write my how-to book, Felt Wee Folk, which combines visual diagrams and step-by-step instructions for making little dolls. To find out more about my philosophy of sharing knowledge, please read this post.

Nowadays, I’m relieved to not have to explain in detail how I make something. Demonstrating my process through photos and videos is much more natural than describing every step in words.

I hope that you enjoy the following photos and videos that show how I embroidered the doll’s face, stitched and appliquéd the snowy owl, and sewed on the arm.

To keep up with new posts, please subscribe to this blog. Your contact info will not be sold or shared. If you’d like to see more frequent photos tracking the projects in my studio, please follow me on Facebook, Instagram and BlueSky.

Rabbitat revisited

Posted on February 25, 2024 by Salley Mavor

With the coming of spring and Easter, I think it’s a good time to revisit Rabbitat, which I completed 13 years ago. The piece was an experiment of sorts, for the purpose of reintroducing a sense of play into my working process. At the time, I was transitioning from the all-consuming 4-year job of researching, illustrating, and launching Pocketful of Posies and I felt the need to make something that wasn’t restricted by size and textpe placement specifications. I also wanted to be free to change things around as I went along.

When I set out to make Rabbitat, I had just 2 elements in mind — a driftwood house and a rabbit topiary. I let the landscape evolve as I worked on it, adding rabbit characters and a garden details as the imagined scenario unfolded. I told my husband Rob that I was making a habitat for rabbits and he immediately said, “Oh, it’s a Rabbitat!” The scene is available as a note card and a children’s jigsaw puzzle in my Etsy Shop.

RABBITAT note cards and a children’s jigsaw puzzle are now available in my Etsy Shop.

TOPIARY
I frequently draw thumbnails sketches of visual impressions that pop into my head. For years, ideas for animal shaped topiaries kept showing up in my notebooks.

In Rabbitat, I wanted to expand the topiary concept that was introduced with the cat and bird in the “Molly, my sister and I” rhyme from Pocketful of Posies.

RABBITS
To make the rabbit figures, I used the same methods taught in my how-to book, Felt Wee Folk, with furry adaptations, including long pointy ears sewn on top.

RABBITAT FILM
Before the piece was finished and all of the parts sewn to the background, I asked local cinematographer (and friend of my son Peter), Daniel Cojanu to make a short documentary about how I work (see the Rabbitat film below). We had such fun coming up with different ways of showing my art, from stitching closeups to gathering driftwood to stop-motion animation. In the years since then, Daniel has gone on to build an impressive career producing science and environmental documentary films.

DRIFTWOOD HOUSE
To make the house, I combed through all of my driftwood and selected pieces which I could see as a roof, side beams, and a doorway. I carved them in spots, so that they fit together and lay down as flat as possible.

I decorated the house walls with an embroidered chain-stitched vine pattern on felt. This was the first time that I made mossy patches using lots and lots of French knots.

RABBIT TOPIARY
For the rabbit topiary, I cut separate parts out of dark green felt and embroidered branches and leaves. The eyes, nose, mouth and whiskers are wire wrapped with embroidery floss. I also sewed wire along the scalloped outside edge, so that the pieces could be bent and shaped. Two glass leaf beads make the eyes.

The piece is large compared to my book illustrations, measuring 24″ x 30″ , with a depth of 1 1/2″.

SLIDE SHOW
I hope that you enjoy this slide show of details from the piece.

BRIAR BORDER
At some point, I decided to add an arched border with a curved and thorny briar made of felt covered wire.

EXHIBITION
The next opportunity to see the original Rabbitat will be July 27, 2024 – March 2, 2025 at the Albany Institute of History and Art, Albany, NY. Bedtime Stitches and Social Fabric will be displayed together.

Exhibition News

Posted on February 18, 2024 by Salley Mavor

Good news! There will soon be 2 opportunities in different parts of the country to see my original artwork. The Bedtime Stitches touring exhibition will be in South Carolina and 4 pieces from Pocketful of Posies will be included in a group show in Illinois.

Salley Mavor: Bedtimes Stitches, the touring exhibition of original illustrations for MY BED, keeps chugging along. Since its debut in 2020 at the Cahoon Museum of American Art in Cotuit, MA, five large boxes packed with the show’s framed artwork and information panels have crisscrossed the country about a dozen times. Every time they’re shipped off, I hope and pray that everything arrives safely! I feel that it’s worth the risk because how else are people from different locations going to have the experience of seeing the detail and 3-dimentional quality of my original pieces?

The next opportunity to see Bedtime Stitches is coming right up! The exhibition will be on view March 2 – May 5, 2024 at the Upcountry History Museum in Greenville, SC. This is the third time that my work has been exhibited there and they always put together a beautiful display.

Bedtime Stitches exhibition at the Upcountry History Museum in Greenville, SC

I’ve spent much of this month in Rob’s workshop, customizing new extra sturdy, multi-layered cardboard boxes for shipping the framed pieces. The first set of boxes were reused so many times that they were practically held together with multi-layers of tape. These new boxes should hold up for a few more trips back and forth. Doing this kind of work isn’t as peaceful as sitting and stitching, but making sure my art is packed safely is an important part of the job!

If you have time to get totally lost in the wee world, please visit this page, which lists dozens of links to posts about the process of making the artwork for MY BED. The book is available worldwide where books are sold. Signed copies are for sale on my shop.

The Bedtimes Stitches exhibition has been such a success that I’m open to extending the tour into and perhaps beyond 2026. I do not send proposals, but inquiries and invitations from museum directors and curators are welcome. Upcoming locations for Bedtime Stitches are listed below.

SALLEY MAVOR: BEDTIME STITCHES Touring Exhibition Schedule
March 2 – May 5, 2024, Upcountry History Museum, Greenville, SC
July 27, 2024 – March 2, 2025, Albany Institute of History and Art, Albany, NY. Bedtime Stitches and Social Fabric will be displayed together.
April – July, 2025, Mariposa Museum and World Culture Center, Peterborough, NH

A is for ART: Highlights from Past Exhibitions
Feb. 25 – April 28, 2024

Four original bas-relief illustrations from Pocketful of Posies will be included
in a special 50th anniversary recap exhibit at the
Cedarhurst Center for the Arts
2600 Richview Rd.
Mount Vernon, IL

TTo keep up with new posts, please subscribe to this blog. Your contact info will not be sold or shared. If you’d like to see more frequent photos tracking the projects in my studio, please follow me on Facebook, Instagram and BlueSky.

Baby Polar Bear Suit

Posted on February 5, 2024 by Salley Mavor

Last December, I made some small gifts, including a little version of my grandson Elias in his polar bear snow suit. I’m looking forward to making more mementos like this and hope it becomes a yearly tradition! These days, it seems that practically every children’s hat and hooded outfit comes with a pair of animal ears on top. That’s fine with me – the more playful, the better!

I also made new Inuit dolls, which I’ll write about in a future post. They are a redo of a project I originally made for my kids and designed for Better Homes and Gardens magazine in 1986.

Baby Polar Bear Doll
The 4″ doll is based on the figures in my how-to book, Felt Wee Folk, only I used wool needlepoint yarn (regular knitting yarn is too bulky) instead of embroidery floss to wrap the hands and feet on the pipe cleaner armature.

As usual, I painted multiple faces on wooden beads and picked out the one I like best. Even after painting thousands of faces, I still mess up sometimes.

The suit is made with some really thick wool felt that I was given years ago. It is probably manufactured for industrial purposes rather than little polar bear suits. The video below shows how I wrapped the feet and hands and sewed on the suit.

In the past year or so, I’ve used a hands-free phone/light stand made by Canvas that makes documenting my process a lot easier. I used to have to bug Rob to stop whatever he was doing and come film different steps with his camera. Now, I can take photos or videos whenever I want to. The downside is that I can’t get into the flow because I’m always thinking about recording some aspect of how I work. And there are times when I’m so engrossed that I skip entire sections of the process. That’s why my demonstration videos aren’t really tutorials. They’re more like peeking over my shoulder while I work. You might not see every detail, but you can get the gist of it.

After sewing on the suit, I made the hood – ears and all. The hood is made from a lighter weight wool felt.

The following video shows how I glued on the head and constructed the hood.

After the doll was finished, I got the idea of chain stitching Elias’s name and the year on the back. Yes, this will definitely be a yearly tradition!

Baby Bunting Twins

Posted on January 21, 2024 by Salley Mavor

January is reserved for playing and puttering in my studio. I really look forward to this time of hibernation, without outside distractions. 31 days doesn’t seem long enough to make all of the things I’ve been dreaming about! So far, I’ve worked on simple projects that might take a few days, instead of months or seasons. I’ve already made several gifts, including a pair of Baby Buntings for twin 3 year-old girls. This post includes photos and 3 videos that show the process of making them.

The dolls are simpler than the figures with floss-wrapped arms and legs in my how-to book, Felt Wee Folk – New Adventures. The baby’s pipe cleaner body is padded and hidden inside a felt suit. Since the dolls would be played with by real children, I doubled up the pipe cleaners to make them extra sturdy. In the following video, you’ll see me forming the armature and covering it with wool batting.

The suits are made with naturally dyed wool felt and embroidered with fine wool tapestry yarn from my old stash. I’m sad to say that DMC discontinued selling the yarn years ago.

The following video shows me stitching the bunting yoke. To give an honest impression, I left in some clips that reveal snags, instead of editing them out. Maybe someday I’ll string all of the bloopers together!

I was was so engrossed with painting their faces that I forgot to take photos or videos. Their heads are made with 1′ wooden knobs (not beads), which are available here. Beads could be used as well. I just liked the size and flat bottom of the knobs.

The following video demonstrates how I attached the head, stitched the pointed hat, and formed the silk ribbon tie, which is a process I can’t describe in words.

These little dolls were so fun to make! They are now happily living with 3 year-old twins in Vermont. Stay tuned for future stories about more gifts I’ve made this month.

Harvest Time – Part 9 (embroidered trees)

Posted on January 11, 2024 by Salley Mavor

As promised, I’m winding down the string of posts about Harvest Time, the fall scene in my series of seasonal landscape. Part 9 features the embroidered trees in the background sky portion of the piece. For over a year now, I’ve shared photos, videos and commentary about different aspects of the project, from moss to underground tunnels to miniature storage containers (see list with links below). This year, I’ll be writing about Summertime, so stay tuned!

Harvest Time is the fall scene in a series of seasonal landscapes that capture the wonder and magic of the natural world. Note cards, prints, bookmarks, and jigsaw puzzles of Harvest Time and the other scenes in the series (Frosty Morning, Mossy Glen and Summertime) are available in my Etsy Shop.

Here’s a list of the other posts about Harvest Time:
The overview introduces the piece.
Part 1 features moss making.
Part 2 is about making the turkey tail mushroom.
Part 3 shows the construction of felt leaves.
Part 4 gives a peek at embroidering the plants.
Part 5 is about making the toadstool mushroom.
Part 6 covers the underground tunnels, roots and stones.
Part 7 shows how I made the wee folk harvesters.
Part 8 is about miniature storage containers

Embroidered Trees
I saved this part until the very end, when it was clear how much of the sky area would be visible. During the months-long process of making this piece, all of the separate parts and figures piled up, waiting in the wings until it was time to go on stage, like scenery and characters in a play.

I used a mottled blue naturally dyed wool felt to make the sky portion. Years ago, I bought some unevenly dyed felt, which was sold as “seconds”. Unfortunately, I can’t get it anymore, so I make do with what I have. Since I didn’t have a large enough piece of this color combo, I sewed together smaller scraps from my stash. If you’re looking for naturally dyed wool felt in solid colors, check out A Child’s Dream.

This felt is so precious that I’ve kept every little scrap. I used some of the smallest pieces of blue and lavender to patch together a background for mounting the animals from my book, MY BED.

It’s one of the 18 framed originals from My Bed included in my touring exhibition, Bedtime Stitches. For information about the book and where the show is going through 2025, please visit this page.

Bedtime Stitches at the Southern Vermont Arts Center in 2023

Now, back to Harvest Time. After sewing together the pieces of felt, I marked the edges of the open areas with large stitches.

Drawing on felt isn’t very effective, but I managed to mark a few faint lines with a pink chalk pencil. While I chain-stitched the branches and handled the felt, most of the chalk brushed away.

The next step was to add leaves along the branches with daisy chain stitches. For a naturalistic look, I used single strands of variegated embroidery floss.

I created a horizon line by sewing pieces of grayish brown felt along the bottom of the sky section. Every once in a while, I tested how it looked by temporarily positioning parts on top.

To make the leaves stand out visually, I filled them in with bright yellow floss. I then stitched blades of grass and other vegetation that was growing up along the ground.

Before assembling the scene, I covered the wooden stretcher bars with upholstery fabric. Then, I stapled the background fabric to the back of the stretcher and sewed all of the individual trees and figures in place on top. Everything is secured with a needle and thread. This video shows the whole piece put together.

I hope that you enjoyed this behind the scenes peek at my process. To start from the beginning, please go to Harvest Time’s introductory post here.

2023 in review

Posted on December 30, 2023 by Salley Mavor

Here we are again, at the dawn of a new year! As usual, 2023 flew by so fast that it’s hard to comprehend how we could have passed through all four seasons already! For me, it was a year full of blessings and opportunities, both personally and professionally, highlighted by the arrival of a new family member, new artwork, new exhibitions and new products in my shop.

Artwork packed and ready to go to the Southern Vermont Arts Center.

Thank you to all of you who follow this blog and take an interest in my work and life as an artist. As we enter its 15th year, I marvel at the constant influx of new subscribers every day! According to some, the blog format has faded in popularity compared to other fast and flashy social media platforms, but not here. The slow, in-depth, and thoughtful way of writing posts with pictures is more in keeping with my style of working. My Facebook and Instagram pages attract more visitors, but I’m constantly directing people to my blog because this is where you’re more likely to find out about what I do and why I do it, not just a little snippet of the story. So, now that you’re here, please come along as I review the past 12 months and share posts (linked in bold blue letters) published in 2023.

The most significant event in my life this year was the birth of our grandson, Elias in January. During the winter and spring, he and I covered many miles strolling on the bike path behind his house, while I sang every song I could remember. Though, I did manage to get some work done in the studio, including a baby banner with his name, birth date and weight.
Baby Banner for Elias shows how I created the felt banner, including correcting a misspelling.

Baby banner for Elias

WINTER DISPLAY at BOSTON CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL
I was thrilled to be invited to set up a display at the Boston Children’s Museum last winter. The snow scene was populated with sample dolls from the Winter Play chapter of my how-to book, Felt Wee Folk: New Adventures.
Boston Children’s Hospital Installation shows a practice set-up of the scene in my studio.

Boston Children’s Hospital Installation

Adaptive Sled for the snow scene gives an inside view in photos and video of how I constructed an adaptive sled for the snow scene.

HARVEST TIME
During 2023, I posted 6 more segments about the fall scene in my series of seasonal landscapes. There’s one more part to go, which will be published in 2024.
Harvest Time – Part 3 (felt leaves)
Harvest Time – Part 4 (embroidered plants)
Harvest Time – Part 5 (toadstool mushroom)
Harvest Time – Part 6 (underground)
Harvest Time – Part 7 (wee folk)
Harvest Time – Part 8 (storage containers)

**Harvest Time – Part 5 (toadstool mushroom)**

**Harvest Time – Part 8 (storage containers)**

SUMMERTIME
This past year I finally completed Summertime, the fourth piece in my series of seasonal landscapes. In the coming year, I will post photos, videos and commentary about various aspects of the project.

Normally, I wait until a piece is finished before writing blog posts about it, but I couldn’t wait to give you a preview of Summertime and whet your appetite for what’s to come! The following 2 posts show photos and stitch minute videos documenting my process, including this raspberry video.
Studio News
Summertime makes the finish line!

Studio News

Baltimore Oriole Sneak Peek includes photos and videos of creating the bird for Summertime.

BEDTIME STITCHES TOURING EXHIBITION
Bedtime Stitches in Pacific Northwest shared the news that Bedtime Stitches was on view last winter at the Pacific Northwest Quilt & Fiber Arts Museum.
Summer Tidbits announced several opportunities to see my work in person, including Bedtime Stitches last summer at the Southeastern Quilt and Textile Museum and this past fall at the Southern Vermont Arts Center.
Bedtime Stitches 2024 Schedule:
March 2 – May 5, 2024, Upcountry History Museum, Greenville, SC
July 27, 2024 – March 2, 2025, Albany Institute of History and Art, Albany, NY.

THE WEE WORLDS OF SALLEY MAVOR
Wee Worlds on view in Vermont is an overview of my exhibition, The Wee Worlds of Salley Mavor at the Southern Vermont Arts Center (on view until Jan. 7, 2024)

The Wee Worlds of Salley Mavor at the Southern Vermont Arts Center

This was the first time that all four pieces in my recently completed seasonal landscape series were shown together. Over the past few years, I’ve shared photos, commentary and videos that give a behind the scenes peek at how I created these bas-relief embroideries. You can catch up in the archives here: Frosty Morning, Mossy Glen, Summertime, Harvest Time. Summertime will be added in 2024.

Wee Worlds exhibition video Watch a video of the Vermont show and find out the reasons behind my decision to stop selling my original pieces.

Wall of Wee Folk describes how I gathered and affixed the display of about 150 little dolls to the gallery wall.

NEW PUZZLES
NEW Wee Folk Group Portrait gives an inside view of setting up and taking a photo of 20 years worth of little dolls for a puzzle image.

What’s new in my shop announces the addition of more jigsaw puzzles and a CD that feature my artwork.

Vintage Valentine gives a background look at collecting and arranging vintage spools for my nostalgic assemblage and introduces a new jigsaw puzzle and a spiral bound notebook featuring its image.

Harvest Time: Part 8 (storage containers)

Posted on December 17, 2023 by Salley Mavor

After a months-long hiatus, it’s time to get back to writing about how I made Harvest Time. Yes, even after 7 parts, there’s more to show! In Part 8, I share photos and commentary about the miniature storage containers that the wee folk used to hold and haul their produce both above and below ground.

So far, I’ve written the following posts about Harvest Time:
The overview introduces the piece.
Part 1 features moss making.
Part 2 is about making the turkey tail mushroom.
Part 3 shows the construction of felt leaves.
Part 4 gives a peek at embroidering the plants.
Part 5 is about making the toadstool mushroom.
Part 6 covers the underground tunnels, roots and stones.
Part 7 shows how I made the wee folk harvesters

Harvest Time is the fall scene in a series of seasonal landscapes that capture the wonder and magic of the natural world. Note cards, prints and jigsaw puzzles of the this and other scenes in the series (Frosty Morning, Mossy Glen and Summertime) are available in my Etsy Shop.

This past year, I’ve focused on completing the Four Seasons series, so that all 4 scenes could be included in my exhibition in Vermont, which will be on view for 3 more weeks. The Wee Worlds of Salley Mavor is at the Southern Vermont Arts Center until Jan. 7, 2024. Thank you to all of you who’ve traveled from near and far to see my work in person. Your enthusiastic response makes me feel that all the stitching is worth the effort!

During the months that I worked on the landscape and figures for this piece, I looked forward to creating the storage containers, like the promise of something sweet at the end of a meal. Throughout the process, there were many moments of busy work when I let my mind think ahead and plan out future stages of the project.

I envisioned baskets, sacks and barrels made to scale with felt, beads, wire and thread. The containers didn’t have to actually be woven or hold anything, they just had to look convincing.

I searched through my collection of beads and put aside several candidates that were the right size and shape. As you might imagine, I have a lifetime supply of beads to choose from!

Using an oval wooden bead as a form, I wove a basket by creating the warp and weft with wool/silk yarn.

Nestled in with the baskets are some rustic clay beads that worked just fine without embellishment.

This wheelbarrow is modeled after one that my grandmother used in her garden. Her’s was designed to carry a bushel basket that could be removed.

I made the basic basket shape out of felt and then stitched it with wool/silk yarn. The tricky part was making it appear 3-dimensional when it’s actually quite flat.

I constructed the wheelbarrow’s handles and stand out of wire, which I wrapped with brown embroidery floss. The whole thing is less than half an inch deep.

For some containers, I covered beads with felt first and then stitched a woven pattern onto the felt.

Wire also came in handy for adding structure to the top rim of some baskets.

I sewed glass beads inside the baskets, taking care to hide the thread as much as possible. The wee folk have stored a goodly stash that should help sustain them through the cold winter ahead.

Stay tuned for Part 9, which will be the last post in the Harvest Time series. It’ll be about making the embroidered trees in the background sky. I promise not to make you wait for months to see it!

In the coming year, I will share photos, videos and commentary about making Summertime, which you get a glimpse of in this post.

NEW Wee Folk Group Portrait!

Posted on November 29, 2023 by Salley Mavor

A few days before my collection of dolls headed to Vermont to become the Wall of Wee Folk, I had the idea of taking a group portrait that could be used for a jigsaw puzzle. We had to act quickly because they’d soon be out of town for 3 months.

“The Wee Worlds of Salley Mavor” will be on view
at the Southern Vermont Arts Center thru Jan. 7, 2024.

The Wee Worlds of Salley Mavor on view at the Southern Vermont Arts center thru Jan. 7, 2024

I crowded over 100 dolls together, arranging them every which way on my grandmother’s old breadboard. I figured that the more disorganized the better. Rob took a hires photo and the dolls were free to go to Vermont! Now, I’m happy say that Wee Folk puzzles and notebooks are now available in my Etsy Shop. The supply is limited, so if you want them before Christmas, please order now.

Many of the dolls are sample projects from my how-to book, Felt Wee Folk. All manner of young and old characters are nestled together, including multiple fairies, a pirate, Robin-hood, a wizard, a jester, a witch, and several brides and grooms.

I’ve spent my whole life figuring out ways to make little dolls that are true to what I first envisioned and longed for as a child. It just took a while to develop the skills to bring them to life. My aim in writing Felt Wee Folk was to offer others the kind of how-to book that I would have loved to find.

The group photo we took almost 10 years ago for the cover of Felt Wee Folk was a very different setup. For that photo-shoot, the dolls were carefully positioned on ascending steps inside a light box.

Wee Folk puzzles and notebooks are available in my Etsy Shop.

When the first shipment of Wee Folk puzzles arrived, I immediately set up a card table and sat down to put it together. The puzzle was more challenging than I expected, which is a good thing. You’d think that my familiarity with the subject matter would make it easy, but the haphazard nature of the composition threw me for a loop! This puzzle would be fun for both adults and older children. Here’s a short video that shows a condensed version of piecing together the puzzle.

There are now 8 puzzles in my shop, including Summertime,
Birds of Beebe Woods, Rabbitat, Harvest Time, Mossy Glen,
Frosty Morning and Thread Spool Heart.

Wee Worlds exhibition video

Posted on November 19, 2023 by Salley Mavor

The Wee World of Salley Mavor, Southern Vermont Arts Center, photo by Dave Barnum

It’s so gratifying to hear that visitors are traveling from all directions to see my exhibition at the SOUTHERN VERMONT ARTS CENTER! Carloads of fans are coming south from Canada (crossing the border from both Ontario and Quebec) and north, east and west from many different states. One woman wrote, “I went to the show yesterday. Seeing the work in person gave me shivers.” I wrote back that I hoped it was the good kind of shivers! If you live too far away to make the trip, here’s a short video that gives an overview of the show.

THE WEE WORLDS OF SALLEY MAVOR
On view through January 7, 2024 at the
SOUTHERN VERMONT ARTS CENTER, Manchester, VT

On view are are over 75 shadow boxes and other objects, including original picture book illustrations spanning my career. The show contains BEDTIME STITCHES, the touring exhibition of artwork for my most recent book, MY BED: Enchanting Ways to Fall Asleep around the World. Also on display are a wall full of wee folk dolls and stand alone pieces that explore a range of social narratives, from the everyday to topical subjects.

“My aim is to breathe life and emotion into embroidery, an art form that is often perceived as purely decorative.” Salley Mavor

The main reason I decided to pause or maybe altogether stop selling my original pieces is that I want more people to experience the detail and 3-dimensional quality of my work in person. Lately, I’ve realized that I can’t afford to let go of my recent pieces because their current value lies in being available to show. If I were to sell what I have, it would be difficult to put together an exhibition like this one in Vermont. The logistics and expense of arranging loans with private collectors would be prohibitive. It would take at least 20 years to make a new body of work to fill a gallery of this size! I want to make art for as long as I can, but I also I want to spend the next 20 years enjoying being a grandmother and that might mean making art at a more leisurely pace.

More exhibitions are being planned, which will be added to the exhibitions page when locations and dates are finalized. I’m also pleased to offer reproductions of my artwork in books, posters, cards, puzzles and notebooks in my Etsy Shop.